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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25383214">To Your Recklessness (And Our Future)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunTiller/pseuds/MunTiller'>MunTiller</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, Caretaking, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, Headcanon, Hornet is reckless, Injury Recovery, Lace needs a hug, Light Angst, Major Character Injury, Not Beta Read, Pain, Writing Prompt, a shit ton of headcanons, and Lace finds out in a very bad way, but it's not that bad I don't know how to write that stuff, did I tell you Hornet does not care about herself at all?, like really don't read if you don't like that stuff, lots of pain, mentions of wounds and blood, too bad I can't write short things, wound stitching</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:27:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25383214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunTiller/pseuds/MunTiller</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lace chuckled lightheartedly, perhaps somewhat out of her mind, nodding weakly as she helped Hornet open the buttons of her shirt one by one, until the injury by her side was finally exposed. The shirt in question, white by the Cult's rules and expectations, was already ruined by her blood, and permanently marked in a red – yet almost black – stain. Hornet paid no mind to the amount of blood soaking her hands as she checked to see how deep the cut was, and if she would be able to properly stitch it like she intended.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hornet/Lace (Hollow Knight)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Your Recklessness (And Our Future)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was supposed to be a oneshot, but will have two parts because I can't just write a short prompt and go along with it :(</p><p>Prompt: Hornet helps Lace undress after an injury.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You are honestly so reckless and confusing." Hornet sighed quite deeply as she kneeled by her futon, laying Lace down in the middle of the messy sheets she had no time to fold that morning. The woman in question gasped as she pressed her eyes closed, hands grabbing fistfuls of Hornet's cloak, before letting go as she stepped back to go fetch her bag of medical supplies.</p><p>Left alone by the bed, Lace did her best to stay unmoving, but she found it quite difficult when her body kept trying to curl up against itself to hopefully stop the pain. Her eyes followed the movements of her rival closely, worried about what she was doing more than she had ever before.</p><p>"Look–" Her voice came to a halt as a deep, searing pain near the side of her abdomen made her feel like she was dying, and she took a couple of deep breaths for some seconds. "–who's talking."</p><p>Hornet let out a quick, dry laugh, perhaps too focused on not letting Lace die to care about the open, bleeding injury that almost cut her leg off. She kneeled briefly by Lace's side with a leather bag on her hands – holding back a wince –, of which she pulled out a small needle, a knife and a bottle carrying a bright blue liquid that caught the woman's eye.</p><p>Lace, too caught up in her own pain, took some seconds to notice and realize what it was, but when she did, she stared in disbelief for a small moment. Perhaps stunned by the fact Hornet had managed to find Lifeblood in the wild, as she knew she wasn't one to go shopping in huge markets, she tried to say something, but there wasn't enough air on her lungs for that. Hornet paid her no mind as her limbs started shaking under the pain, too focused on getting a bowl from a nearby shelf to make medicine.</p><p>Lace looked up at the ceiling, panting as the spider started mixing the Lifeblood with some herbs to soften its effects temporarily, just so it wouldn't eat away the already injured flesh before healing it up, causing even more pain. She added the liquid steadily into the mix, crushing it with her own fingers as she had no time to go look for a proper tool, and soon enough she had the medicine she wanted, of which she put aside briefly so it could rest before being taken.</p><p>"Help me take your clothes off." Lace grimaced as Hornet helped her sit up, hissing as her head fell against her rival's shoulder in some sort of trance. Hornet cursed under her breath, shaking her a little as she raised her voice, a painful whine under it. "Come on, stay awake!"</p><p>Lace chuckled lightheartedly, perhaps somewhat out of her mind, nodding weakly as she helped Hornet open the buttons of her shirt one by one, until the injury by her side was finally exposed. The shirt in question, white by the Cult's rules and expectations, was already ruined by her blood, and permanently marked in a red – yet almost black – stain. Hornet paid no mind to the amount of blood soaking her hands as she checked to see how deep the cut was, and if she would be able to properly stitch it like she intended. Lace pushed her hand away as the remaining Lifeblood on her fingers came in contact with the open wound, making it sting as if burning.</p><p>"Alright, alright." Hornet looked away and took the bowl by her side, now a less bright shade of blue, then rested a hand on Lace's shoulder, a hopeful yet tired look in her eyes. Lace leaned a bit back, still trying to find a position where this unbearable pain wouldn't be able to reach her, and she looked at Hornet for a moment. "It won't take all the pain away, but will make it more bearable. Drink it."</p><p>And for a second she hesitated, perhaps too engrossed in her own pain and suffering to actually remember that this was <em>Lifeblood</em>, almost impossible to be made into poison in any meaningful way. Shaking her head with a sigh, she tried lying back down as if it would be a better choice, but Hornet quickly pulled her back up with an iron grip over her arm.</p><p>"Lace-" </p><p>"I won't take it." She said firmly as she looked away, coughing right after, but still proud of finally having found a voice amongst the dryness of her throat. There was a strange plea under her tone, one she couldn’t exactly hide anymore, and it was clear that if Hornet noticed, she couldn’t care about it. Lace's arm started stinging under the pressure, but the spider’s grip only tightened.</p><p>"This is not a choice." </p><p>Annoyed, Lace looked at her once again, holding back a painful sigh; expecting to meet the stubborn gaze as she was used to, she flinched under a cold, almost dead look. Hornet was suddenly unmoving, determined to make her take the thing, clear as day that she would not back down. And to Lace, that was no good.</p><p>Lace shook her head once, twice, but when Hornet didn't budge a single inch, her hopes dwindled. She looked her in the eyes, holding her most serious gaze for as long as she could without grimacing, hoping it would work. And it didn’t.</p><p>Hornet, too tired and with little time to spare in this matter, made her eyes colder, emptier in a terrifyingly direct way. <em>'Take it or I'll make you.'</em>  Told her gaze, and if Lace doubted it, the growl that followed made her believe it. Hornet held back a proud smile at Lace's reaction, maintaining her straight expression.</p><p>"Drink it."</p><p>They stared at each other for some more moments, Hornet growing more exasperated by each passing second Lace held her gaze. As she was about to start wrestling to shove the thing down her throat, already formulating an apology for once Lace was back to her senses, the woman seemed to finally cave in and took the bowl from her hands. Her shaky limbs made it harder to withstand the weight, and while Hornet sighed internally, relieved beyond words she would not need to fight for this, her shoulders tensed visibly, perhaps afraid and yet to recall what she was about to drink.</p><p>Still in a hurry, Hornet put her hands under Lace's, helping her bring the bowl up towards her lips to drink the medicine, hoping it not to be as distasteful for the woman as it was to her. Once half the bowl was gone she pulled it back, careful not to spill it directly on the wound down below, and Lace took some seconds with her eyes closed, before laying down as she previously intended. There was a pout on her lips, one Hornet would have found amusing had she not been almost worried to death, and in pain.</p><p>With the wound out in the open, bloodied and uncared for, she knew she had to be fast and get the stitching done before an infection came around, just so she could then finish caring for this mess and get the wound clean. Hornet cursed under her breath briefly, bothered by the stinging pain on her leg, and she quickly took some of her thread to attach to the needle. By the time she'd got to work, Lace's breathing had become steadier, less affected by the pain; her eyes were glued to the wall by her side almost peacefully, yet her voice would come up every now and then to gasp and curse at Hornet's handling of the thread. Hornet did her best to tune those sounds out.</p><p>Hands shaking in slight hesitation, Hornet did her best to work well, although she knew there was no way Lace would come out of this unscathed. Be it paranoid or a little more attentive, perhaps less playful in general after their duel fiasco, it was a fact that besides a new scar, something would change in her. <em>'But that's not something to think about now,'</em> She thought, already too used to Lace's cursing to hear it over the frantic beatings of her chest. <em>'I need to make sure she won't die here first.'</em></p><p>Damn that acolyte, why did these annoying bell freaks have to show up at the worst times possible? There was something deeply disturbing about them now that Hornet stopped to think about it. Why would they attack one of their own to reach her? And she knew Lace was important; hence bring her so far deep from the city exactly where she knew they wouldn’t look. How <em>desperate</em> could they truly be?</p><p>Hornet felt a chill run down her spine as she stopped to think about the scarcity of silk the upper parts of the kingdom had been having, but she refrained from thinking further, refusing to believe such paranoid reality-based assumption. She sighed deeply, body tense under the pressure of caring for an enemy she wasn’t supposed to truly care about, but she quickly went back to her duties, focused on the needle and thread, more careful with it than she had ever been with her weapon.</p><p>Pierce the skin, pull the thread, pierce the other side, and tie it up in a knot. <em>Pierce, pull, pierce, tie.</em> Pull more strongly to close the border of the wound, don't mind the blood, don't mind the blood. Pierce, pull, pierce, tie; how long will this take? This must be done quickly. Why did her hands have to be so clumsy? Do that again. Now we are halfway there. <em>Wait</em>, how is she?</p><p>Hornet looked up for a brief second, noticing the slight decrease in sounds in the last minute or two. Lace kept her eyes closed, mouth agape as she gasped for air in silence, surprising Hornet quite easily. Always the most silent between the two, Hornet wondered if it was part of Lace's nature or something forced upon her by the cult, as many other things about her had been. Maybe she could ask about it later, maybe-</p><p>There was an audible gasp this time, and Hornet came back to her senses.</p><p>She grimaced, bothered by her wound ever so slightly, and a curse left her lips just as one left Lace's. Not the same one, of course, not even here could they agree on something, but the similar feeling was there. Hornet shook her head, frustrated beyond words with this situation, and she went back to work.</p><p>Pierce, pull, pierce, tie…</p><p>
  <em>Pierce, pull, pierce, tie…</em>
</p><p>There was a noise outside, and the Church Keeper by the tent's entrance gave two steps back, shoulders tense as they frowned. Leaning over their cane, they headed over to the nearby bench, observing their surroundings as the wind came and went peacefully. Empty as always, the only presences near the abandoned church village of the Moss Grotto were them, the pilgrim, the cartographer who was resting and a young warrior, much like their dear spider; although much less attentive. It was no secret why she had chosen to bring her rival to this place, as not even the oldest of the gentry seemed to recall its existence with ease, and so, it would take time until they even though about coming to look around the moss-covered woods; time she could make a good use of.</p><p>They sighed wordlessly as they shook their head, thinking about how much she had accomplished until then. Attentive yet reckless, crazy even, she had raised great expectations for herself in a matter of days, whispers traveling across the land from mouth to mouth like sickness. All knew who she was and what she wanted, and aside from the citadel, few were against it. Perhaps then, once her goal was met, the people of Pharloom could free themselves from this cult ruled nightmare for once and learn what had been done to the once astonishingly skilled population of weavers, now nothing but fugitives among all others.</p><p>The Church Keeper was not one to dream much, they knew their desires would never be met under the rule of the Queen for as long as she lived, and there were rumors she had an appointed successor already, yet… for her findings, because of Hornet, they felt like they could wish for more than a peaceful life under the kingdom. Still, even if knowing they could, they did not, and their expectations remained as level-headed as they could be, never waiting for a big event of which she had taken part; that way, they were always either right or pleasantly surprised.</p><p>Today was the day of another good, yet worrying surprise; and the Church Keeper could only smile sweetly, as those had started to become quite regular by now. Certainly it was not them who turned their heads visibly as she came in carrying someone, and they couldn't blame the individual for it, since not many appreciated the Grotto when they visited it; the actual surprise came when they realized it was a bloodied member of the cult's militaristic forces, gasping between life and death with difficulty; she was high ranked as well, as they could tell easily.</p><p>Once again, Hornet had surprised them with her little adventures and ideas; they supposed it was how it would always be, and they had no complaints about it so far.</p><p>Sherma, worried as he would ever be, tried following inside, but decided against it in the last moment. Being rescued by Hornet countless times already, he knew of what she was capable and so he refrained from questioning her reasons, as she had refrained from questioning his. Sitting near the tent, he sighed deeply as he took off his hat to rest it on his lap, the clinking of his bell against the metal harmonious with the pipes hanging by the entrance nearby, swaying gently by the wind. </p><p>He looked up at the Church Keeper, and both met eyes. The older one sat by the bench, clutching their cane carefully.</p><p>"Will they be alright, Keeper?" Sherma tilted his head with his brows furrowed, hands fiddling with his bell. The Church Keeper opened a small smile, humming as their cane shook lightly from side to side, and they nodded slowly.</p><p>"I believe so." They paused for a moment, eyes turning to the tent both women had taken shelter upon. There was a worried tone in their voice as they continued, shoulders just as tense as before, as their hands gripped their cane a little more strongly. "Our prayers must be on our little warrior's skill, dear one, for the Devotee's life depends on it more than it had ever before. The response to this shift in demeanor shall dictate how our warrior's travel will end, if ever."</p><p>Sherma nodded solemnly, looking down as his shoulders slumped. There was this… restlessness settling down within his chest, some kind of fear he'd never felt before regarding someone he barely knew, even so he did his best to ignore it. He knew what Hornet was capable of, he knew, and so he would leave her decisions to herself; as any sane person would do.</p><p>He closed his eyes, head coming to rest back against the shop wall behind him, and after a particularly loud chime from the pipes nearby, he opened them with a grumble. His eyes met a handwritten sign above his head, and he shifted in place a bit to read it, not having noticed it before as it was well hidden under greenish vines. He struggled with the letters, not yet used to Pharloom’s official common tongue, but eventually he got the gist of it.</p><p>"New location by the North side of Bonebottom! Come buy the most delicious sweets in the area!"</p><p>He paused. </p><p>Sweets? He liked sweets.</p><p>He paused again, this time for longer as he looked forward, a memory poking the back of his mind incessantly on the verge of giving him a headache. It took some seconds before he recalled what it was.</p><p>Wait, didn’t Hornet like those, too? She mentioned it at some point, right? If he wasn't going crazy, he was sure of that.</p><p>
  <em>'...wait.'</em>
</p><p>And suddenly, Sherma jumped to his feet, gathering his supplies before stumbling over his own cape towards the entrance as he waved the Church Keeper goodbye. </p><p>That was it. He just had an amazing idea.</p>
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